Veteran forward broke finger fighting in response to open-ice hit that broke Connor Bedard's jaw.
Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno, who broke his left ring finger fighting in a response to the jaw-breaking hit on Connor Bedard, is set to resume practicing on Saturday.
Foligno, regarded as Chicago's de facto captain, challenged and fought Devils defenseman Brendan Smith in the second period of a game in New Jersey on Jan. 5. Smith's open-ice hit on Bedard late in the first period fractured the NHL leading rookie scorer's jaw.
Bedard resumed skating this week after surgery, but still is expected miss six to eight weeks total with the injury. The 36-year-old Foligno said Smith "targeted our best player" and engaged the 34-year-old defenseman in a long slug-out at center ice in Newark, New Jersey when he broke his finger. See the story.
Foligno is expected to return to the Blachkawks lineup in their upcoming four-city trip leading into the NHL All-Star break. Coach Luke Richardson said the forward just needed to regain some strength now that he can grip his stick.
A captain with Columbus for six seasons in his 17-year NHL career, Foligno signed a two-year contract extension last week with Chicago. It will pay $4.5 million per season.
In addition to his leadership role, Foligno has been a versatile producer in all situations on the ice with eight goals and nine assists in 39 games. Foligno scored both a shorthanded and a power-play goal on Dec. 23 in St. Louis after Bedard beat Blues goalie Jordan Binnington with a lacrosse-style or "Michigan" goal.